County water billing set to resume in November

By Liz Doyle
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Baltimore County residents will start receiving water bills again in mid-November, the first time in nearly 10 months that homeowners will have to pay for their water service, county officials said today.

The charges will cover water consumption from each resident’s last bill through the meter readings that will be conducted this fall.

Billing for all water customers was paused in the winter due to the coronavirus pandemic, causing concern among many residents who feared that their water charges were piling up so much that they would eventually be hit with enormous bills they would have trouble paying.

Lisa McKee, a Rosedale resident, said in an interview that she has not received a water bill since January. She said she has been visiting the county Department of Public Works’ website regularly to see how much she owes, but she has not always gotten accurate information.

“The site says I have a credit of 91 cents, but only because they haven’t processed any bills,” McKee said. “Ridiculous.”

Other residents said they have been trying to budget for the large bill they expect to receive.

“I’ve been setting aside what I usually pay [for water],” said Felecia White, a Randallstown resident.  “I regularly go on the site to see if they update my bill with what is owed.”

County officials announced today that they had hired an outside contractor to help collect water meter data.

The data collected by Itron will allow quarterly water billing to resume for Baltimore County residents for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works manages water meter readings and billings for Baltimore County residents and businesses.  The city halted all readings and billings for city water customers at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  They are currently unsure of when they will be able to collect water meter readings again.

“Because of the delays, the county is bringing in additional support to expedite that process and support the city workers,” said Sean Naron, the press secretary to Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.  

Itron will start collecting water meter data in late October. The county will also send four members of its Department of Public Works staff to prep and send bills so that county residents can begin receiving them by mid-November.

Itron, a Washington State-based company that helps local governments with utility work, was selected because of its knowledge of Baltimore City’s water meter system and the county’s previous positive experience with the vendor, Naron said. He said the company has provided similar services for the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.

“Residents deserve to have their water bills delivered in an efficient and effective manner,” Olszewski said in a statement Tuesday. “We’ve heard from many who are frustrated that they haven’t yet received their water bills and others who are anxious to receive their bills so they can budget for and pay them without any further delay.  We’re taking these steps to ensure we address our residents’ frustrations.”

In addition to resuming water billing, the meter data will also provide an accurate calculation of sewer charges.  This is important because the county bills for sewer charges as part of its annual property tax collection.

Baltimore County and Baltimore City plan to administer a review of the business processes that manage the water delivery system that serves both regions.